


Bad at Goodbyes

by TribalMoogle



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 22:24:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12921465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TribalMoogle/pseuds/TribalMoogle
Summary: You both hate it when he has to leave...





	Bad at Goodbyes

You wake in a haze. Alone. You feel the empty space beside you. Not completely cold, but not warm. He’s been out of bed awhile. You sit up and wait for the clock to come into focus. 1:37 am. You rub your eyes and quietly trudge out of the room.

You make your way silently to the living room and lean against the wall to watch him for a moment. His broad shoulders breach the back of the couch. His bed head mane unruly. You stifle a chuckle. 

He shifts and you see him holding a framed picture of the two of you. One of Prompto’s impromptu snapshots. The two of you look unbelievably happy as you smile and laugh. Gladio lets out a deep sigh and his shoulders slump.

With a frown, you make your way behind him. You wrap your arms around his neck, kiss his collar bone and nuzzle against his neck. 

“Didn’t mean to wake you.” He mumbles. 

“It’s fine.” You purr into his neck. 

The two of you remain like that in silence for a few moments before you release him with a peck on the cheek. His shoulders tighten as you move away. You circle around and sit on his left, leaning into him as you survey the photo.

“I love that picture.”

“Me too.” He sounds almost sad to admit it. 

You sneak a quick glance to his forlorn face and gingerly remove the frame from his hands. You spin it around and remove the photo from the case. You place the picture in his hands, then encircle them with your own.

“Take it with you.”

“But what if –“

You cut him off with a finger to his lips. “Uh-uh. You won’t lose it and you’ll come back. Just like always.” He looks to your sparkling eyes and gives a curt nod. He fixes his gaze back to the photo.

“I thought this would get easier, but it’s harder every time.” His hands tense, crumpling the photo slightly. You place it on the table and wrap your hands over his.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“ _You’re_ sorry? I’m the one that has to leave.” Fury begins to enter his voice. 

You rub his hand with your thumb. “We both knew this going in. It’s an adjustment. We’ll handle it, just like we have before.”

Tension fades from his body as he looks to the ground. “I know, but something feels different this time…” His voice trails off. 

“Gladio, look at me.” The man hesitatingly turns to face you. His amber eyes slowly raise to meet yours. You give him a soft smile. “Everything will be fine.” 

You lean in and give him a soft kiss. He responds in similar fashion, then suddenly wraps and arm around your waist to draw you closer as he deepens the kiss. 

The man may have trouble expressing himself in words at times, but his body always spoke the truth. He loved you, he was gong to miss you, and he was scared. 

After a few moments, you part. He plays with your hair absently and you smile. You scoot back and pat your right thigh, offering him to rest his head. He gives you one last peck on the lips before doing just that. 

“You need to get some rest. How can you be expected to protect Noct if you’re falling asleep?” He sighs in reply. 

You play with his hair and massage his scalp. A sure fire way to force him to sleep. “Besides, think of all the romantic places you can scope out to whisk me off to later.” You wink at him. He chuckles and his eyes close. In a few minutes, his breathing evens out and he’s asleep.

“Gladio?” You whisper to ensure he’s actually sleeping. No words come from him. You smile softly. “I love you.” You find his hand and grip it before drifting to sleep yourself. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake in the morning to find yourself neatly tucked in bed. You smile at the kind gesture. He always made sure you were safely in bed before he left. Which confirmed the sad reality. 

Gladio was gone again. Off to see Noct to his wedding to Lady Lunafreya. Before you let the tears stream down your cheeks, you make your way to the kitchen for some coffee. 

You click the pot on and notice the note beside it. The man knew your morning routine down to the second, so of course he knew where to place his goodbye note. 

_Thanks. I love you too._

He’d said the words out loud before, but never written them down. It was enough to send you over the edge. You pushed the note tight to your chest as you slumped to the floor. Tears streaming down your face unchecked. 

“Please. Please come back safe.” You shutter out between tears. Your body shakes and you fall – just as the rest of Insomnia would hours later. 

The man you loved left and the world around you fell apart.


End file.
